Appeals court cuts battery maker CEO's prison term from 15 to 4 years over deadly plant fire

Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan delivers a public apology, June 25, 2024, at the company's plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where a deadly fire broke out the previous day . Yonhap

An appeals court on Wednesday reduced the prison sentence for lithium battery maker Aricell's chief executive officer (CEO) to four years over a deadly fire at the company's plant in 2024.

The Suwon High Court handed down the significantly reduced term to Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan from a 15-year sentence by a lower court in connection with the blaze in June 2024 that killed 23 workers and injured nine others.

In September, the Suwon District Court delivered the heavy punishment for Park, who had been indicted on multiple charges, including failing to secure workplace safety and violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

The appeals court recognized the "grave" consequences of the fire, but it found insufficient grounds to determine that Park intended to evade liability under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

It also rejected the prosecution's argument that the company failed to install an emergency exit on the second floor of the plant, saying safety regulations do not specify whether it should be installed on each floor.

The court also sentenced Park's son, a company general manager, to seven years in prison, reducing the lower court's 15-year sentence.

Bereaved family members of the victims protested the ruling, with some yelling at the judge.

"This is a ruling that has inflicted great pain on the bereaved families," a legal representative for the victims said.

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act punishes owners or CEOs of companies with at least one year in prison or fines of up to 1 billion won ($677,000) for fatal industrial accidents.